Madison County Supervisors renew 4% room tax

WAMPSVILLE >> The Madison County Board of Supervisors renewed the 4 percent occupancy tax assessed on lodgings throughout the county, which generates about $5.6 million a year.

Madison County Tourism Executive Director Scott Flaherty estimates that visitors spent $80 million in 2012. That injection of revenue is enough revenue to save each household in the county about $372 a year, Flaherty said. The tax is levied on guests staying in hotels, motels, bed and breakfast establishments and campsites.

The 4 percent tax isn’t new, it’s being renewed. Flaherty asked for the supervisors’ support in maintaining the tax, calling it a “worthwhile program.” He also stressed that the tax is funded largely by visitors from outside the county, not necessarily residents. The board renewed the occupancy tax after an otherwise silent public hearing on Tuesday.

In continued attempts to keep county property tax revenue dedicated to local endeavors, the board again lobbied the state Legislature to cut back on state-mandated programs. Nine of those programs consume more than $4 billion of property taxes levied across the state. Locally, 80 percent of the county’s overall budget is tied to state-mandated programs including. Medicaid, Public Assistance Safety Net, Child Welfare Protective and Preventive Care, Special Education Pre-School, Early Intervention, Probation, Indigent Defense, Youth Detention and pensions. Medicaid alone takes an $11 million yearly from the county’s tax levy.

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“Many counties in New York state face significant fiscal challenges made worse by the recent recession and slow economic recovery,” the resolution says. “These county fiscal challenges are also directly tied to state-imposed mandates and in recent years, reduced state reimbursement.”

As in previous years, county officials are designating the month of May as “Mayday for Mandate Relief” in an effort to raise awareness that the “decisions made in Albany have a direct impact on the property tax levy and local community services here in Madison County.” County officials are urging the governor and state Legislature to enact mandate relief.

County officials will also join other counties across the state in supporting changes to child protective laws. The majority of laws governing the protection of children in New York state were enacted in the 1970s and have not been significantly revised since. Proposed amendments include efforts to empower social service agencies, allow for harsher penalties and provide easier access to information.

Under the targeted legislative amendments, a single incident of excessive corporal punishment would be sufficient for child protective agencies to establish a presumption of neglect and take action to remove the child. Babies born with controlled substances in their systems from their mothers’ drug use would also receive greater protection, allowing for the presumption that the child’s wellbeing is in imminent danger.

If adopted by the state legislature, social services employees would be empowered to subpoena records from private and public agencies for their investigations and would require law enforcement and other governmental agencies to make notifications pertinent to CPS investigations. A Class D violent felony offense statute could be established for endangering the welfare of a child in cases in aggravated circumstances of abuse and maltreatment.

In a consolidation effort, the county is analyzing the possibility of adding municipalities onto its phone system. The board OK’d a contract with PAG Services Tuesday to evaluate that potential, assess the compatibility of expanding the county’s phone system to towns and villages, assisting in selecting a system and provider and overseeing its implementation.

The county’s current phone system was installed in 1978 and was last updated in 2001. Instead of using a hard-wired system, the county could upgrade to an IP-based operation that would allow for more updated options. The board has not yet determined if it will completely replace the current system or simply update it again.

Energy improvements at the county highway garage and fuel facility in Wampsville should provide significant savings. A contract with SmartWatt Energy for $10,600 approved Tuesday will replace all of the lighting in the building with updated, energy-efficient models. The county is expected to realize $676 in savings per month in energy costs.

In other business, the board approved:

•The creation of one temporary full-time heavy equipment operator to work 12 weeks at $17.32 an hour with the Solid Waste Department for landfill cell construction.

•The appointment of Joseph DeFrancisco, of Wampsville, to the Madison County Traffic Safety Board for a three-year term.

•Reappointing Michael Costello, of Cazenovia, to the Madison County Sewer District Board for a five-year term.

•A renewed agreement of Haroff Auction & Realty and Absolute Auction & Realty for the county’s annual land auction; bids for auctioneer services were not re-bid this year because the county was satisfied with the companies’ previous performance.

•A $3,000 contract with GHD Consulting Services to provide an environmental site assessment of the building at the Wampsville Fireman’s Park that the county is purchasing.

•The repaving of the following roads: 1.9 miles of East Hill Road in Stockbridge; 2.9 miles of Stockbridge Falls Road in Stockbridge; 1.6 miles of Swamp and Mason roads in Brookfield; 2.6 miles of Lake Moraine Road in Madison; 1.6 miles of Peth Road in Cazenovia; 1.9 miles of Fabius Road in Cazenovia; 3.4 miles of Damon Road in Cazenovia and Nelson; 3.6 miles of Dugway Road in DeRuyter and Nelson; and 2.3 miles of Lincklaen Road in DeRuyter.